1.  Everyone has a script.
It is the sheet of paper that we hold in our minds.  It tells us how to think, what to say, what to wear, what facial expressions to use, what decisions to make, how to walk, what to read, what to eat, when to wake up, why to love, and why to live.

2.  This script is written by someone else.
Some of us know this and some will never know this.  We cannot write our own scripts.  Usually these scripts are written by Confucius, Adam Smith, Thomas Jefferson, Rush Limbaugh, dad, some of the above, or all of the above.

3.  This script is written intentionally or incidentally.
But we do not and cannot write our own; rather, we can only intentionally choose our lines, or unconsciously borrow from other parts.  We create our own characters in the play, but the script is already written.

4.  Usually, we think this script is correct.
Liberals think progress is the answer; conservatives want to return to the ideals of history; consumerists want anything that means more stuff; technologists think no problem is too hard; militarists seek absolute protection; therapeutitians think the absence of pain is ideal; and, legalists just want order.  Are they right?

5.  All scripts are fed by academic education, advertising, media, propaganda, and television!  Yup, this is where we get our values from.

6.  Scripts have failed, currently fail us now, and will continue to fail.  Look around and see the absence of an ideal society.  Do you see
progress, ideals, happiness, security, peace, and order?  We are witnessing the greatest failure of humanity.

7.  The health and efficiency of society is dependent upon our disengaging of this script.  We live in an illusion thinking our scripts will eventually work.

8.  God’s task is to detach us from our scripts.
God detached Egyptian scripts from the Hebrews, Canaanite scripts from the Israelites, Babylonian scripts from the Judeans, Greek scripts from the Jews, Roman scripts from the Christians, pagan scripts from the Church, and modernity’s script from modern man.  He may seem insensitive, obtuse, and harsh at times, but it is to show the crucial incompetence of these scripts.

9.  God uses the Church and the engine of ministry to rewrite an alternative script.
The rewriting of this script in us takes time and can often be misunderstood and incorrectly written; however, it necessitates Divinity (Holy Spirit) for its correct transmission.  Ministry is the most effective means of transmission:  preaching, worship, prayer, study, and evangelism.

10.  The source of this alternative script is the Bible.
This script addresses value, meaning, passion, and purpose to every race, gender, generation, and class.  It corrects the errors of humanity providing a reboot / reformat sequence on every hard drive.  The old script is passed away and all things adhere to the new script.

11.  Proponents of ministry seek to save the world, not the Church.
The primary objective is to advocate the renunciation of the old script and articulate and propagate the alternative script.

12.  To obtain a new script, one needs to renounce the old script and publicly accept the new script without shame.
In some circles, this is called baptism.  This is the only method and there is no other possibility.  Jesus Christ has made this possibility a reality.

(Inspired by and adapted from Walter Bruggemann)